Hudson Institute Events Podcast

The Trump administration has taken unprecedented measures to increase the pressure on Venezuela’s repressive Maduro regime, which illegitimately maintained power despite losing the July 2024 election. The United States has doubled the bounty on Nicolás Maduro’s capture to $50 million, designated two Venezuelan criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations, and deployed naval assets to the southern Caribbean to disrupt drug trafficking operations. Most recently, the US stationed 10 F-35 fighter jets and other assets in Puerto Rico. Washington’s escalation is a response to the continued threat the criminal regime poses. Maduro’s Venezuela has emerged as Latin America’s greatest destabilizing force, serving as a major sanctuary for transnational criminal organizations, a critical node in international drug trafficking networks, and a strategic foothold for Russian and Chinese influence projection. What does America’s show of force mean for its broader strategy toward Venezuela? Could sustained US pressure fundamentally alter the political dynamics within the regime? Can outside pressure sufficiently weaken Maduro’s grip on power? Join Adjunct Fellow Daniel Batlle and a panel of experts as they examine these questions.

After decades of growth, global electricity access has hit a downturn in recent years, especially in Africa. Roughly half the population of sub-Saharan Africa still lacks electricity, limiting access to water and modern medicine and preventing the expansion of industry. Yet international organizations like the International Energy Agency and the World Bank have prioritized reducing emissions over eliminating poverty. Many development agencies stopped granting loans or finance for projects that either produce fossil fuels or burn them to generate electricity. This has forced more sub-Saharan Africans to burn wood, dung, or biomass, sources that produce more emissions, pollution, and health risks than fossil fuels. The West’s refusal to fund fossil fuel energy in Africa has also created an opportunity for China to increase its influence on the continent. Hudson’s Zineb Riboua will host Professor Brenda Shaffer, faculty member of the US Naval Postgraduate School and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, to discuss international energy policy shifts that can help address the challenge.

In February 2025, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Donald Trump announced the US-India COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce, and Technology) for the Twenty-First Century. Though India is not an American security ally, changing geopolitics have drawn the two democracies closer together in the last two decades. Stronger defense and military partnership benefits both parties’ core strategic interests. The US and India have expanded their joint military exercises, defense trade, and cooperation in the defense tech arena. But the two countries can do more. Dr. Aparna Pande will host an expert panel to discuss how Washington and New Delhi can increase security collaboration to bolster security both bilaterally and multilaterally in the broader Indo-Pacific region. This event is part of the Motwani Jadeja US-India Dialogue Series funded by the Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation.

In May, Nippon Steel finalized the terms of its historic $26 billion partnership with United States Steel. Nippon Steel agreed to make invaluable investments and introduce cutting-edge technology in U.S. Steel’s facilities. By doing so, the partnership will strengthen the American steel industry, help workers and communities, and promote American national and economic security. It is an integral part of the administration’s larger efforts to revitalize American industry. To celebrate this achievement, Hudson Institute’s Japan Chair will welcome the decision-makers and stakeholders who made the deal possible: Senator David McCormick (R-PA) and representatives from Nippon Steel, U.S. Steel, and the Pittsburgh community. First, Senator McCormick and Executive Vice President Joel Scanlon will discuss why the senator supported this partnership, the deal’s significance for Pennsylvanian and American industrial policy, and how it advances US national security and relations with Japan. Then, Japan Chair Deputy Director William Chou will sit down with representatives from both companies and the local community. They will talk about why this deal supports American workers and communities, the major capital and technological investment, and how Nippon Steel’s investment advances American industrial and economic strength.

China’s sophisticated hybrid warfare is a key aspect of its campaign to undermine Taiwan’s resilience and discourage American involvement in the island’s security. On top of conventional military threats, Beijing uses disinformation and economic leverage to coerce and diplomatically isolate Taiwan. In the event of a crisis, China will likely intensify its use of these tactics to harm the United States military’s readiness and undermine support for intervention among the American populace. To respond, the US needs to increase its awareness of Beijing’s unconventional playbook, enact measures to bolster Taiwan’s defenses, and strengthen US influence in the Indo-Pacific. Join Hudson Institute’s China Center and the Taiwan United Nations Alliance (TAIUNA) as Dr. Miles Yu hosts a panel of experts and policymakers on how the US and its partners can strengthen security cooperation to defend Taiwan.

Given the scope and scale of the political prisoner crisis across China, the United States needs to do more to secure political prisoners’ release. The Chinese Communist Party holds at least 1.8 million Uyghurs in political prison camps and nearly 1,000 political prisoners in Hong Kong. In addition, the CCP extrajudicially detains many Tibetans, Christians (including pastors), and political dissidents. This is largely because the CCP sees political prisoners as an essential method of quashing dissent and retaining its power.With that in mind, the United States should have equally robust mechanisms for setting political prisoners free. Congress has a substantial apparatus for securing political prisoners’ release. But the executive branch pursues political prisoner release in a more ad hoc manner. A new office of political prisoner advocacy in the executive branch, with a special envoy of ambassador rank, could bolster existing US efforts to free political prisoners.

Taiwan sits at the intersection of geopolitics and global supply chains, and its democracy, technological prowess, and strategic location make it both a symbol and a target. As tensions with China grow, the island faces not only the threat of a potential economic blockade or military invasion, but also the danger of cyberattacks. Cyber resilience is a vital component of deterring Chinese aggression against Taiwan.Join Hudson Senior Fellow Jason Hsu for a discussion with Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA), Rhombus Power Founder and CEO Dr. Anshu Roy, former Vice Minister for Policy of the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense and former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral (Ret.) Legislator Richard YK Chen, and RunSafe Security CEO Joseph Saunders as they explore the role of cyber resilience in the defense of Taiwan.

The two-year-old conflict in Sudan is disrupting one of Africa’s most important regions, threatening a major maritime shipping route, advancing American adversaries’ interests, and devastating the civilian population. Despite the Trump administration’s recent mediation effort, the war shows no sign of ending. Continued violence at the current level promises even more destructive ripple effects.Hudson Institute, in collaboration with the Israel-Africa Institute, is conducting a series of webinars analyzing the East Africa region. In this episode, experts discuss:The history of the Sudan conflict and the status of the fightingThe roles of Generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, Islamists factions, Iran, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United StatesSudan’s importance to Africa and the worldNext steps toward ending the world’s costliest ongoing conflict

The Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East will host Dr. Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, for a conversation with Dr. Michael Doran. They will discuss the evolving global terrorist threat, the future of United States counterterrorism strategy, and how counterterrorism shapes US policy in the Middle East.

President Donald Trump has invited Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the White House for a landmark summit aimed at ending decades of hostility. The leaders are expected to sign key agreements to establish lasting peace between their long-divided nations. Research Fellow Zineb Riboua will moderate a conversation on the potential implications of this historic accord with Senior Fellow Michael Doran and Damjan Krnjević Mišković, professor of practice at Azerbaijan’s ADA University and editor of the policy journal Baku Dialogues.